10 years ago, the biggest story in the Northeast revolved around Market Basket

It’s very rare that I visit Market Basket without thinking about the incredible loyalty the employees showed 10 years ago this summer.

It was the biggest story in New England

In the summer of 2014, Market Basket’s board of directors decided to fire Artie T. Demoulas. The next day, many employees began to strike out of loyalty to Artie T. and demanded his reinstatement as CEO. All media outlets reported the same story, claiming it was a family feud between two of the store’s big bosses: cousins ​​Artie T. Demoulas and Arthur S. Demoulas, grandson of Arthur Demoulas, a Greek immigrant who founded the chain years earlier.

It was New England’s David against Goliath

The family feud at Market Basket is legendary. We had never seen such loyalty from employees before. The public believed that Artie T. only cared about the employees and their well-being.

Many employees walked off the job. They saw it as a sign of loyalty to Artie T., who had taken care of them. According to WBUR, 25,000 employees went on strike in 2014.

A report by CBS Boston showed that one worker, after learning he could be fired if he walked off the job, said he could “always find a new job.” Another employee who was injured said, “He (Artie T.) took the time to come to the rehab center just to see one of his coworkers. Who does that?”

Eventually, Artie T. was reinstated as CEO and given sole ownership of Market Basket.

I remember when I finally went back to Market Basket (yes, I was one of the customers who boycotted the store), I congratulated all of the employees and they all seemed overjoyed to be back.

Market Basket is a billion-dollar company

Forbes goes deeper into the story of the family feud over the company and offers a different perspective on the situation if you’d like to read more about it.

Still, I believe Artie T. tried to do the right thing for his employees and their families, which makes this one of the best in my New England history.